22 Amazing Anchovy Pairings For You To Try

Adam A · March 9, 2021

E.g. Broccoli cooked forever.The idea of overcooked broccoli is hardly appetizing but Roy Finanmore argues you're simply not overcooking it enough with his surprising recipe which was so good it was featured in the book "The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks".

His recipe calls for anchovies, peppers and garlic to be friend in a skillet with a whole cup of olive oil. He then adds pre blanched florets of broccoli to the skillet and then cooks it covered on a very low heat for 2 whole hours (hence the name "forever") so the florets soak up the anchovy flavored oil.

Amanda Hesser, the author of the book, writes:

... when you push beyond that disappointing just-too-done state (and throw in a whole lot of olive oil bubbling hazily with garlic, anchovy, and hot peppers), you find yourself with a miraculous substance.

Describing the end result, she says:

I want to call the result broccoli butter, but it's more appropriately broccoli confit. The florets trap all the oil's richness, and the stems melt away. Amanda Hesser - "The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks".

This buttery soul food is great spooned onto fresh bread, layered over pasta or as a topping for pizza.

E.g. Tapenade.Popular in the south of France, tapenade is a luxurious spread made from salty olives, umami-rich anchovies, and tangy capers. The trio is ground to a rich and fragrant paste and is often served as a starter with wam, crunchy bread to spread it all on.

E.g. Mam Nem Dipping Sauce.I was going to demonstrate this pairing with pineapple and anchovy pizza but I didn't want to start a riot. Mentioning pineapple and pizza seems to bring the worst out of some people. So instead I'll use this Vietnamese dip as an example of these two ingredients at work.

The dip consists of fermented anchovy, pineapple, sugar, lemon juice, chilli pepper, lemongrass and garlic. It is then used either as a baste on grilled meats and fish or as a simple dip.

Vicky Pham-Le has shared her version of the recipe on her Vietnamese home cooking blog.

Psst... if you do like pineapple on pizza then try adding anchovies to it.

E.g. Pan seared salmon with anchovy-garlic butter.I picked up this great recipe from the New York Times which makes perfect use of salmon and anchovy.

Melissa Clark describes how they work:

Minced anchovies and garlic add a complex salinity to seared salmon, enriching and deepening its flavor. To get the most out of them, the anchovies and garlic are mashed into softened butter . . . When stirred into the pan sauce, the raw garlic and anchovies give an intense bite that’s mitigated by the creaminess of the butter.

Melissa Clark "Cooking with the New York Times"